An opportunity to increase your impact ARSL, Sept The Future of Library Services for & with Teens Beth #act4teens

What We’ll Cover Today  Overview of the “Future of Library Services for & with Teens: a Call to Action” report  Implications for libraries  Leveraging opportunities  Discussion, Q&A

The Issues Highlighted in the Report  Teens make up a significant portion of library users  Library services and resources for teens are in jeopardy  The demographics of teens has changed significantly  Technology continues to have a large impact on communication, teaching and learning  Teens are entering the workforce without critical skills

What Teens Need from Libraries  Bridge the digital and knowledge divides  Leverage teens’ motivation to learn  Provide workforce development training  Serve as the connector between teens and other community agencies

The Report’s Impact on Libraries  Audience  Collections  Staffing  Space  Youth Participation  Outreach  Policy  Professional Development  Programming Denverpost.com

Opportunities Galore for Libraries! ● Make a difference in teens' lives & for the community as a whole ● Get more mileage out of your existing resources ● Engage community members ● Attract partners ● Increase your visibility & value

Making a difference ● About 7,000 teens drop out of high school per day ● Approximately 40% of high school graduates lack the literacy skills employers seek ● The hours between 3 – 6 pm are the most dangerous time of day for youth ● 8 in 10 Americans want all children and teens to have some type of organized activity or safe place to go after school

Leverage Existing Resources ● Inventory your library’s assets to identify what exists to support connected learning activities – Staff and volunteers’ own expertise and interests – Digital resources – Items in the library collection ● How to & DIY materials, career exploration resources, etc. – Partner resources and expertise caustincounseling.com

Engage community members People are willing to give time to a worthy cause ● Parents ● Local business owners ● Teachers ● Retirees ● Volunteers & Friends Groups ● Your local VIPs ● Others?

Attract Partners Workforce development, STEM and out-of-school are areas of focus with funders ● Local foundations ● Chamber of Commerce ● Youth serving groups ● Government agencies ● Not-for-profits ● Schools (K-12, vocational, college) ● Others?

Increase Visibility & Value ● Attract new audiences to the library ● Gain new advocates ● Become more visible beyond the library walls ● Create compelling stories that show how your library makes a difference in the community ● Enhance/expand the perception of what your library does Implementing connected learning activities can help you:

Ideas, Comments, Questions  Any ah-ha moments?  Any comments or ideas to share?  What would you like to know in more detail?  What ideas did you learn today that you’ll apply in your job or bring back to your institution for further conversation? Thank you for participating! q99.info This presentation is on SlideShare:

Selected Resources  The Future of Library Services for & with Teens: a Call to Action site, – Full report & summary – 5 recorded webinars  YALSA wiki  TRW webinar  MAE Collection Development Grant